Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, August 11, 2024
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 11: La Polynormande
Upcoming racing:
- August 12 - 18: Tour of Poland
- August 13 - 16: Tour du Limousin
- August 14 - 18: PostNord Denmark Rundt
- August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 10: Clasica San Sebastian
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 4 - 7: Arctic Race of Norway
- July 27 - August 4: Olympic cycling
- July 22 - 26: Tour de Wallonie
- July 23: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- June 29 - July 21: Tour de France
- June 9 - 26: Many National Championships
- June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
- June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
- June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
We posted the report from second-place Julian Alaphlippe's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from winner Marc Hirschi's UAE Team Emirates:
Marc Hirschi took his fourth victory of the season in impressive fashion at the Clasica San Sebastian in Spain today.
The 25 year old Swiss outsprinted former World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quickstep) in a two-up dash to the line ahead of Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny).
Marc Hirschi celebrates his victory. Sirotti photo
Pavel Sivakov made a brave solo move with -40km to go before being brought back which set-up the attack on the ascent of Pilotegi with 7km remaining, with Alaphilippe ploughing ahead with Hirschi in tow. The pair collaborated to the line before Alaphilippe led out the sprint with Hirschi timing his move perfectly to cruise past the Frenchman.
Hirschi: “I’m delighted with this win. First we wanted to control any attacks from Visma. Then Sivakov tried from a distance and I waited to follow any other moves behind. It’s a very nice victory, I’m on a good streak and I’d like to extend my good form until the World Championships that will be held in Switzerland.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the report from third-place Lennert Van Eetvelt's Team Lotto Dstny:
Lennert Van Eetvelt (23) shows he’s completely back after his knee problems earlier this season. After strong work of his teammates, the young Belgian climber finished off the day with a third podium spot, just a few seconds behind winner Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe.
Lennert Van Eetvelt finishes third. Sirotti photo
A breakaway of ten riders, among them Sylvain (Moniquet) for Lotto Dstny, coloured the first part of the Clásica San Sebastián. The race went off on the Jaizkibel, almost all the riders in the break got caught one by one. On the Erlaitz Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates) chose the attack and went alone. In the back an interesting group got formed, with three riders of Lotto Dstny: Maxim Van Gils, Andreas Kron and Lennert Van Eetvelt.
Van Gils and Kron worked hard to keep the gap to Sivakov under control. Sivakov got caught and on the Pilotegi - the final climb with a section to 27% - Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) and Marc Hirschi went alone, behind the duo Van Eetvelt took it all out for the third place. Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) won the sprint-à-deux and Van Eetvelt strongly finished third.
“It was really important for me to find that good feeling today, and so I did”, a happy Lennert Van Eetvelt spoke after the race. “After the difficult period I had with my knee problems I’m super happy with this third spot. Today everything fell in place, with Sylvain in the early break we had the control from the beginning. The team decided to go for my card, as I felt well. Seeing Maxim and Andreas work for me gave me a lot of confidence. I knew I wasn’t as explosive as the others and I chose my own pace.”
“At the end I think I missed out on a bit of experience to follow the wheel of Alaphilippe and Hirschi. At one point I was unsure if I would be able to still find back the good feeling this season, that the team gives me such confidence after everything feels fantastic.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the report from fourth-place Kevin Vermaerke's Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:
A hard day out under the Spanish sun saw the peloton take on Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday. A challenging parcours that included traditional climbs such as Jaizkibel and Erlaitz lay ahead of them, but also a brand new final climb of Pilotegi; which averaged over 11 percent for two kilometres with the last kilometre included long stretches over 20 percent.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL were active from the start and after lots of attacks in the peloton, a break of ten eventually managed to escape that included Warren Barguil. However, they were only giving an advantage that peaked at three minutes and as the bunch started the climb of Jaizkibel they were all but caught. Over the ascent the bunch thinned down with Romain Bardet, Gijs Leemreize, Chris Hamilton and Kevin Vermaerke left in the front group; before the pace ramped up once more on Erlaitz. There some strong attacks were made and Vermaerke rode strongly, cresting the climb in a group of eight which trailed the then solo leader Sivakov.
Things regrouped and a few more riders came back, as they tackled the descent and flatter roads through the finish line, before turning off towards the brutally steep final climb. On the lower slopes of Pilotegi, Sivakov was reeled in and the group split to pieces. Vermaerke dug deep, grinding his way up the climb as one-by-one riders dropped from the group. Vermaerke himself eventually had to let go of the wheels close to the summit, riding as fourth rider on the road. Sending it down the descent and pushing to the line on the flat, Vermaerke would cross the finish in San Sebastián in fourth place; securing his best WorldTour one-day race result of his career with the team.
Kevin Vermaerke finishes fourth. Sirotti photo
Vermaerke said: “It was a good race. It was a long travel from Norway to get here so I felt a little tired yesterday but knew I had really good shape. I’ve been steadily getting better the last three weeks and knew if it was a hard race then it would suit me a bit better than the stages in Norway. I could really save energy in the first half of the race. The guys did really well to cover moves and be in the break with Warren. They positioned me perfectly coming onto the Jaizkibel. From there I just always stayed in the front with Romain and Chris, coming into the second last climb where the selection was made. I felt pretty comfortable making that second group behind Sivakov. When we caught him just before the final climb, I rode my own pace to the top. I just couldn’t quite hold the wheels in the last few hundred metres of the climb. I felt really strong today and slowly but surely making progress in the races. Fourth place is one off the podium, but I think we can all be proud of how we rode today as a team, and I’m really looking forward to my next races now.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the report from Rémy Rochas' Team Groupama-FDJ:
The WorldTour calendar restarted on Saturday with the Clasica San Sebastian. One day after having completed the Vuelta a Burgos, not far from there, Rémy Rochas took a decent result in the Basque city. The French climber couldn’t contest the victory, but he fought until the end to take twentieth place, his best result in a one-day race of this level.
Team Groupama-FDJ is introduced during the race's opening ceremonies. Sirotti photo
The only Spanish WorldTour classic was on the menu this Saturday. In the Clasica San Sebastian, 236-kilometres long and featuring 4,400 metres of elevation gain, Groupama-FDJ lined up a very similar group to the one present on the Vuelta a Burgos all week. Indeed, only Matt Walls was replaced by Lenny Martinez, and the race started at full speed as it took almost an hour for the day’s breakaway to establish itself. Ten men eventually made it to the front, namely Warren Barguil (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost), Davide De Pretto (Jayco AlUla), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek), Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny) and Ben Zwiehoff (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).
The peloton gave them a lead of up to four and a half minutes, and Simon Carr was able to come over the famous Jaikzibel climb in the lead. “A first selection”, according to Philippe Mauduit, took place at this point in the pack, but it was on the Erlaitz climb (3.8 km at 10.7%) that things got really lively, with more than forty kilometres to go.
Julian Alaphilippe started the attacks, and Rémy Rochas tried to join in the fight. “There was a big acceleration, the best moved away towards the front, then a group of about fifteen was formed after a few attacks”, Philippe Mauduit explained. “Rémy was not far at the top. He is surely the last one not to come back to the front group”. From then on, the Groupama-FDJ climber entered a second chasing group, more than a minute behind the favourites who fought on the final climb of Pilotegi (2km at 11%), located ten kilometres from the line. Still, Rémy Rochas also wanted to be aggressive in the chasing group. “He attacked at the bottom of the last climb,” Philippe explained. “The group he was in split apart and he finished all alone in front of the rest of this small peloton. He fought well to get twentieth place, which is all to his credit. He wasn’t that far to do much better in terms of results, but he finished his preparation week for the Vuelta quite well.” Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) took victory ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step).
Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this report:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike could not play a significant role in the final of Clásica San Sebastián. Fresh Vuelta a Burgos winner Sepp Kuss was the first rider from the yellow-black formation to finish.
Visma | Lease a Bike rider Jonas Vingegaard at the team's presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo
The peloton set off in San Sebastián for 236 kilometres on rolling roads. Along the way, the steep climbs of the Jaizkibel, the Erlaitz and the Pilotegi awaited the riders. Among the starters was Kuss, who had just won the Vuelta a Burgos on Friday. The 29-year-old American had Jonas Vingegaard by his side, who was riding his first race after a rest and training period after the Tour de France.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders took control in the peloton. At the foot of the ultra-steep Erlaitz, the last early breakaway rider was caught. There it soon became clear that Vingegaard did not have the best feeling. The Dane could not follow the pace at the front and he left the race moments later. Kuss was part of a chasing group for a long time. He eventually finished 33rd.
"It was a tough day," Kuss responded afterwards. "We took responsibility as a team and we did that superbly. A result didn't come out in the end, but we can be happy with how we approached the race. In a final like this, you have to have top legs. Unfortunately that was not the case today. Now I am taking some rest. That way I can prepare optimally for the start of the Vuelta. I'm looking forward to that."
Sports director Marc Reef agreed with Kuss: "We had a good plan and we were ready. As planned beforehand, we took our responsibility in the peloton. Milan Vader and Julien Vermote did an excellent job of keeping the leading group within range. Then Thomas Gloag and Dylan van Baarle rode a strong climb of the Jaizkibel. On the Erlaitz we wanted to continue our plan, but during the climb our leaders simply didn't have the legs. That is unfortunate, but that is part of cycling sometimes and we have to accept that."
Here’s the report from the AFP:
Top French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe has told Soudal-Quick Step he is leaving at the end of the season, team boss Patrick Lefevere revealed on Saturday.
"Julian called me this week to tell me he was leaving," Lefevere told Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad.
"He'd been thinking about it at night for weeks and it had been making him sick, but he told me he's leaving the team," said Lefevere.
Alaphilippe is a two-time world champion who enjoyed a tilt at the Tour de France title in 2019 with 14 days in the leader's yellow jersey.
But he has lost his place as the star man at the Belgian team with the arrival of local rider Remco Evenepoel.
Alaphilippe, 32, won a stage at the Giro d'Italia this season completing a set of wins in each of the Grand Tours.
Julian Alaphilippe wins 2024 Giro stage 12. Sirotti photo
It was a stylish win after a break of over 120km and marked the end of a troubled period that started when he hit a tree at the 2022 Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Here’s the team’s news release:
Team Jayco AlUla are excited to welcome Patrick Gamper to the squad in 2025 on a two-year deal.
The Austrian all-rounder will add further strength and experience to the team, with the 27-year-old having spent the last five seasons racing at WorldTour level.
Gamper has carved out a career as a strong and reliable domestique, and was part of a team at the 2022 Giro d'Italia that claimed the overall victory. The man from Tyrol is also capable of hunting for victories of his own as well as testing himself against the clock as a former national time trial champion.
The GreenEDGE Cycling management sees Gamper as an ideal candidate to join the Australian setup as he brings his expertise of racing Grand Tours, Monuments and the biggest races on the calendar.
Brent Copeland – General Manager:
“Together with the performance team we have invested a lot of time and effort into the 2025 rider roster. The roster we have put together is well balanced and it is with the addition of great riders such as Gamper that will really make a difference.
"We have seen he is a well trusted domestique and has a great skillset. We are looking forward to him joining next year and we are confident he will fit in well in different groups from the sprint trains to helping in the mountains. The season is long with so many races nowadays and it will be great to see Gamper also take his own opportunities with us throughout the busy year.”
Patrick Gamper:
“I am pleased to join Team Jayco AlUla to make the next step in my career and have a new environment in which I can improve. I am very happy to be onboard because the team trusts and believes in me, and it feels good to start afresh at this point in my career and it absolutely feels the right team for me to be in.
"I hope to be in the big tours for the team and would love to race Paris-Roubaix again after missing out this year. In the next years I want to bring my experience in my role as a domestique in the biggest races to the team, but am also looking forward to hopefully enjoying more freedom to get into breakaways, which I enjoy very much and also am not too bad at, every now and then. I have been in the same team for five years now and am grateful for that and I have the feeling Team Jayco AlUla could be a real boost for me."
Patrick Gamper
New Contract: 2025 & 2025
Nationality: Austrian
Age: 27
Key Results:
1st Austrian Time Trial Championships (2023)
1st Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo (2019)
1st Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia stage 2 (2019)
1st Tour de Serbie stage 6 (2016)
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary